Orchid Ensemble
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The Orchid Ensemble is a musical ensemble based in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada It is led by Lan Tung from Taiwan on erhu, supported by Gelina Jiang from Wuhan, China on guzheng and Jonathan Bernard from Canada on various percussion instruments. The trio combines musical traditions from China and elsewhere, and its repertoire ranges from the traditional and contemporary music of China, world music, new music and musical improvisation.
Active in North America, the ensemble gives close to one hundred performances every year, including music festivals, community concerts, primary and secondary school presentations, and university and college residencies. In the United States they have performed at the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, the Smithsonian Institution, the Detroit Institute of Arts and at Benaroya Hall for the Seattle Symphony Society. Canadian performances included Ottawa's Canada Day Celebrations, Harbourfront Centre, Vancouver Jazz, Folk and Children's festivals, National Arts Gallery, National Library, Sunfest, Halifax’s JazzEast, and Montreal’s Centre Pierre Péladeau.
The Orchid Ensemble actively commissions new Canadian compositions. The Orchid Ensemble’s concert productions are supported by the Canada Council, and premiere Canadian music as well as cross-cultural programs. Past collaborators included Uzume Taiko, Egret Ladies Choir (Taiwan), pianist/composer Ya-wen V. Wang, Iranian santur player Alan Kushan, African percussionist ManDido Morris and Jewish woodwind player Mike Braverman. Special projects included "Road to Kashgar," a Silk Road project; "Jews in China," an exploration of a thousand-years' connection of the two cultures; "Contemporary Chinese New Year," a series of contemporary works by Chinese Canadians, and "Parting at Yang Kuan," a series of compositions inspired by poetry.
The ensemble's recent projects cross different disciplines: "Road to Kashgar" (2005) featured interactive media arts by Donna Szoke, with Chinese calligrapher Yukman Lai and Dervish dancer Raqib Brian Burke. "Parting at Yang Kuan" (2006) featured media artists Kenneth Newby and Aleksandra Dulic and poetry reading by Britannia Secondary School students, in an exploration based around the theme of poetry and music. "Triaspora" (2007) featured choreographers/dancers Jessica Jone and Chengxin Wei of Moving Dragon . "Café de Chinitas" (2006) incorporated flamenco rhythms with Mozaico Flamenco Dance Theatre. These projects have developed into ongoing collaborations and will be performed on tour nationally and internationally.
As British Columbia's spokesperson for the UNESCO Associated Schools Project Network in Canada, the ensemble has designed programs for primary and secondary levels. At post secondary institutions, the ensemble gives a variety of lecture-demonstrations, workshops and master classes for both music and other campus departments.
The Orchid Ensemble has recorded two CDs. Heartland was nominated for Best Instrumental Music and Best World Music by 2001 West Coast Music Awards. Road to Kashgar was nominated for world album of the Year by 2005 Juno Awards.
[edit] Discography
- Heartland (2000)
- Road to Kashgar (2004)
